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Sauce Boss on Facebook / Sauce Boss on YouTube  / PDF of EPK 

It's hard to put your finger on the mercurial Sauce Boss.   Somewhere between a country preacher, and an auctioneer lives a musician, a chef, a raconteur,  a purveyor of gourmet hot sauce, a songwriter, and a standup comedian. He's been featured in Living Blues, GQ, and Gourmet Magazines-the only person ever to be in all three.

The Sauce Boss is unique, with high energy originals, a commanding stage presence, and a musical/cooking demonstration. He makes a pot of gumbo onstage, mixing media like cornbread, literally singing the recipe. At the end of the show Wharton shares gumbo with the crowd, turning strangers into friends as they flock to get a taste of community which no one else can deliver.

The Sauce Boss tours both as a one-man band with slide guitar, bass and drums, but kicks it up a notch when he brings his band Extra Sauce with him. Veteran drummer Brett Crook, guitar phenom Neal Goree, and powerhouse bass player Kendrick Jacobs add plenty of fire to heat up this musical gumbo. This band ROCKS!!!  

Blues Bytes review of “With Extra Sauce” album 2026
"Any album from Bill Wharton, the Sauce Boss, is guaranteed to be a good time.  He never disappoints with his entertaining songs and his flair for mixing various genres with the blues that fit into a perfect musical gumbo.  For his latest release, With Extra Sauce, Wharton is joined by Neal Goree (guitar), Kendrick Jacobs (bass), and Brett Crook (drums) on 10 songs, eight Sauce Boss originals and two scarcely recognizable cover tunes.

If you're not familiar with the Sauce Boss, he brings his own brand of hot sauce, Liquid Summer Datil Pepper Hot Sauce, to each gig and cooks up a pot of gumbo while he's performing.  At the end of the gig, everyone in attendance gets a bowl.  Wharton has his gumbo recipe on his website, and a few others that he shares on his blog.  Wharton was the subject of the Jimmy Buffet tune “I Will Play For Gumbo.”

On the opening track, “Burn It Up,” Wharton plays slide guitar on a frying pan guitar, or as he defines it, “a three-string cigar box guitar with two humbuckers in a 9-inch cast iron frying pan.”  It's a stomping, good-natured romp.  “I Wouldn't Mind It,” is a bit more serene with Goree playing wah-wah guitar over a laid back, relaxing rhythm.  A string section is added to “Ce Soir C'est Bon,” a Cajun tune about a fiddle-playing gal who stole the Sauce Boss' heart.

The first cover tune is an entertaining version of the traditional classic “Mama Don't Allow.”  “Try This” is a spacey mix of blues, rock n' roll, rap, along with the Sauce Boss' slippery slide guitar playing– talk about a musical gumbo!  The string section returns to back Wharton and his guitar for “Smile In A Basket,” an optimistic tune that declares that a smile would help against some of the world's many problems.

The second cover is a freewheeling take on “Don't Let The Devil Ride,” the gospel standard teaming Wharton's National Steel guitar with Goree's electric guitar.  “Snugglin' With My Baby” is a really cool Christmas blues number, and the funky blues of “BBQ” will make your stomach growl, while the gentle album closer, “Next Time You Wonder,” is a somber track about friends going their separate ways.

The Sauce Boss' recordings always put a smile on my face....they're so well-played and the songs are always memorable and Wharton's genial performances are a delight.  The band support on this release (the “Extra Sauce”) is first-rate.  Do yourself a favor and check out the music of the Sauce Boss if you've not had the pleasure previously.  You can thank me later."
Bill Wharton (Sauce Boss) is the guy Jimmy Buffett sang about in his song "I Will Play for Gumbo." Wharton’s anthem “Let the Big Dog Eat” is included on Buffett’s “Late Night Menu at the Margaritaville Cafe” album. Albert Castiglia released his cover of the tune, and it hit #1 on blues charts. "Let the Big Dog Eat" has also appeared in the movies, “Something Wild” (Jonathan Demme), and the Rock Doc, “Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President.” This tune and sixteen other works in the documentary earned Wharton “‘Best Original Score” from the Los Angeles Film Awards. 

Sauce Boss' 2024 CD“The Sauce” was a finalist at the 2025 International Blues Challenge in the Best Self-Produced CD category.

In Fall 2025 the quartet Sauce Boss with Extra Sauce put on quite a show at the Suwannee Roots Festival in Florida and at The Niagara Falls Blues Festival. From the Grateful Web review by Ashley Feller “...After dinner, we made our way to the dance tent for a powerful performance by Florida’s own Sauce Boss. If you live in Florida and haven’t seen Sauce Boss, can you really call yourself a Floridian? The band was delightfully loud, and the crowd was electric as we gleefully chanted “HOT SAUCE!” while Sauce Boss mischievously poured two bottles of his homemade hot sauce into a giant steaming pot of gumbo. Everyone was dancing, and even those too shy to move couldn’t keep their feet still. When the music ended, Sauce Boss invited everyone to line up by the stage, where he served piping-hot bowls of his seafood gumbo. Yes, we had just eaten wings—but there’s always room for gumbo, especially when it’s made right in front of you by the band. The gumbo was rich and unforgettable, a perfect ending to a night filled with rhythm and flavor....”